Make no mistake: there are several ways that you can preserve your mental acuteness and ward off conditions like dementia, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease. Social engagement and participation in the workforce are among the most noteworthy. No matter the method, though, managing hearing loss by using hearing aids makes these activities a great deal easier and contributes in its own way to battling cognitive problems.
Many studies show that the disorders listed above are all linked to neglected hearing loss. This article will outline the connection between cognitive decline and hearing loss and how wearing hearing aids can reduce the probability of these conditions becoming an imminent issue.
How Hearing Loss Contributes to Cognitive Decline
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have carried out several studies over the years to examine the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline. The same story was told by each study: cognitive decline was more prevalent with individuals who experience hearing loss. One study showed, in fact, that there was a 24% higher instance of Alzheimer’s in individuals who have impaired hearing.
Though dementia isn’t directly caused by hearing loss there is certainly a link. The primary theories suggest that your brain has to work overtime when you can’t properly process sounds. That means your brain is using more precious energy on fairly simple activities, leaving a lot less of that energy for more complicated processes such as memory or cognitive functions.
Hearing loss can also have a severe affect on your mental health. Studies have shown that hearing loss is connected to depression, social isolation, anxiety, and may even influence schizophrenia. Staying socially engaged, as mentioned, is the best way to safeguard your mental health and preserve your cognitive ability. Frequently, individuals who have hearing loss will turn to self isolation because they feel self conscious in public. The mental problems listed above are typically the outcome of the lack of human interaction and can ultimately produce significant cognitive decline.
Keeping Your Mental Faculties Sharp With Hearing Aids
One of the best resources we have to combat dementia and other cognitive conditions like Alzheimer’s is hearing aids. Sadly, the majority of people who require hearing aids don’t use them. It may be a stigma or a previous negative experience that keeps people wearing hearing aids, but in fact, hearing aids have been shown to help people protect their cognitive function by helping them hear better.
There are circumstances where certain sounds will need to be relearned because they’ve been forgotten after prolonged hearing damage. It’s important to help your brain get back to processing more important tasks and hearing aids can do just that by preventing this issue in the first place and helping you relearn any sounds the brain has forgotten.
Contact us right away to learn what options are available to help you begin hearing better in this decade and beyond.